Assenagon Asset Management S.A. Sells 39,326 Shares of The Interpublic Group of Companies, Inc. (NYSE:IPG)

Assenagon Asset Management S.A. lessened its holdings in shares of The Interpublic Group of Companies, Inc. (NYSE:IPG - Free Report) by 71.0% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 16,056 shares of the business services provider's stock after selling 39,326 shares during the quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A.'s holdings in Interpublic Group of Companies were worth $524,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of the business. Moneta Group Investment Advisors LLC bought a new stake in Interpublic Group of Companies during the fourth quarter worth approximately $256,699,000. First Trust Advisors LP grew its stake in Interpublic Group of Companies by 1,196.9% in the 1st quarter. First Trust Advisors LP now owns 6,280,702 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $222,651,000 after buying an additional 5,796,432 shares during the last quarter. Barclays PLC raised its holdings in Interpublic Group of Companies by 462.8% in the 2nd quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 1,939,546 shares of the business services provider's stock worth $74,829,000 after acquiring an additional 1,594,945 shares during the period. Black Creek Investment Management Inc. lifted its position in Interpublic Group of Companies by 14.1% during the 3rd quarter. Black Creek Investment Management Inc. now owns 9,722,563 shares of the business services provider's stock worth $278,649,000 after acquiring an additional 1,204,630 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Morgan Stanley boosted its holdings in Interpublic Group of Companies by 29.3% during the fourth quarter. Morgan Stanley now owns 4,885,776 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $162,745,000 after acquiring an additional 1,108,179 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 98.43% of the company's stock.

Interpublic Group of Companies Price Performance

Shares of Interpublic Group of Companies stock traded up $0.01 during trading on Monday, hitting $31.47. 2,815,179 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 4,157,364. The Interpublic Group of Companies, Inc. has a twelve month low of $27.20 and a twelve month high of $40.95. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.73, a current ratio of 1.06 and a quick ratio of 1.06. The company has a market cap of $11.92 billion, a PE ratio of 11.16, a PEG ratio of 2.16 and a beta of 1.13. The firm's fifty day moving average price is $32.36 and its 200 day moving average price is $31.18.

Interpublic Group of Companies (NYSE:IPG - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 8th. The business services provider reported $1.18 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $1.16 by $0.02. The company had revenue of $2.59 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.57 billion. Interpublic Group of Companies had a return on equity of 30.52% and a net margin of 10.09%. The company's quarterly revenue was up 1.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $1.02 earnings per share. Analysts forecast that The Interpublic Group of Companies, Inc. will post 2.78 earnings per share for the current year.

Interpublic Group of Companies Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 15th. Investors of record on Friday, March 1st were issued a dividend of $0.33 per share. This is an increase from Interpublic Group of Companies's previous quarterly dividend of $0.31. This represents a $1.32 annualized dividend and a yield of 4.19%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, February 29th. Interpublic Group of Companies's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 46.32%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Interpublic Group of Companies

In other news, CFO Ellen Tobi Johnson sold 40,393 shares of Interpublic Group of Companies stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $32.20, for a total value of $1,300,654.60. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer now owns 88,350 shares in the company, valued at $2,844,870. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. In other news, CFO Ellen Tobi Johnson sold 40,393 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $32.20, for a total value of $1,300,654.60. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer now directly owns 88,350 shares in the company, valued at $2,844,870. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, CEO Philippe Krakowsky sold 150,403 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $32.20, for a total transaction of $4,842,976.60. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 415,776 shares in the company, valued at approximately $13,387,987.20. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 249,646 shares of company stock worth $8,038,601 over the last ninety days. Corporate insiders own 0.33% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several brokerages have commented on IPG. UBS Group started coverage on Interpublic Group of Companies in a research report on Thursday, January 11th. They issued a "neutral" rating and a $36.00 price target on the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their target price on shares of Interpublic Group of Companies from $38.00 to $37.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research note on Friday, February 9th. Barclays boosted their price objective on shares of Interpublic Group of Companies from $35.00 to $36.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a report on Monday, January 29th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company upped their price objective on shares of Interpublic Group of Companies from $31.00 to $32.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Friday, February 9th. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have issued a buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $35.25.

Interpublic Group of Companies Profile

The Interpublic Group of Companies, Inc provides advertising and marketing services worldwide. It operates in three segments: Media, Data & Engagement Solutions, Integrated Advertising & Creativity Led Solutions, and Specialized Communications & Experiential Solutions. The Media, Data & Engagement Solutions segment provides media and communications services, digital services and products, advertising and marketing technology, e-commerce services, data management and analytics, strategic consulting, and digital brand experience under the IPG Mediabrands, UM, Initiative, Kinesso, Acxiom, Huge, MRM, and R/GA brand names.